The Fountain

The Fountain

Duration:

96min

Rating:

PG-13

About the Film:

$5 Special Pricing, February 10th only!

Three stories - one each from the past, present, and future - about men in pursuit of eternity with their love. A conquistador in Mayan country searches for the tree of life to free his captive queen; a medical researcher, working with various trees, looks for a cure that will save his dying wife; a space traveler, traveling with an aged tree encapsulated within a bubble, moves toward a dying star that's wrapped in a nebula; he seeks eternity with his love. The stories intersect and parallel; the quests fail and succeed.

The film will begin with a presentation by Dr. Vera Gorbunova and Dr. Andrei Seluanov on longevity and the Fountain of Youth. The presentation will be based on their research which is focused on understanding the mechanisms of longevity and on the studies of exceptionally long-lived animals. The film will be followed with a Q & A with Dr. Gorbunova and Dr. Seluanov.

About our speakers and their science: Vera Gorbunova and Andrei Seluanov are Professors of Biology at the University of Rochester. Their research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of longevity and on the studies of exceptionally long-lived animals. Profs. Gorbunova and Seluanov earned their B.Sc. degrees at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia and Ph.Ds. at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. Dr. Gorbunova and Dr. Seluanov applied comparative biology approach to study aging and identified rules that control evolution oftumor suppressor mechanisms depending on the species lifespan and body mass. More recently the focus of their research has been tumor suppressor mechanisms in the long-lived rodent species the naked mole rats and the blind mole rat, where they showed that the two species evolved two distinct antitumor strategies. Drs Gorbunova and Seluanov published over 40 research papers on these subjects. Their work received awards of from the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Glenn Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research, and from the National Institutes of Health. Their work on cancer-resistance in the naked mole rat was awarded the Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS for outstanding scientific excellence and originality. Most recently they were awarded a prize for research on aging from ADPS/Alianz, France.

About the Science on Screen Series: This series creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine. Each film is used as a jumping off point for the speaker to reveal current scientific research or technological advances, providing the perfect combination of entertainment and enlightenment. This program is a national program run by several individual not-for-profit theater’s across the United States. Post film discussions are created in partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Science on Screen at The Little Theatre Film Society is made possible through a grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Thank you to our sponsors:

The Little Theatre is the premier cultural center for the presentation of American independent and foreign films, visual arts and music for the greater Rochester community. Through educational events, the Little Theatre provides local artists a place to share and discuss their visions with a diverse audience.

WXXI Public Broadcasting and the Little Theatre are engaged in a formal, long-term affiliation. This combined organization promises to enhance the cultural life of the community and strengthens both institutions by pooling resources and experience in key mission areas. WXXI is the essential, life-long educational public media resource for the Greater Rochester area.